Hey everyone,

Had an email from Ford about this Remote Access App for Android and IPhone systems. Has anyone tried this yet? Any opinions or experiences with it?

I'm currently on the phone with my local dealer who hasn't even heard about it yet...hurray...

 

I was going to try it until I saw you have to pay for a subscription. I'm out. Lol

 

I bought the three modules and installed it myself. The dealer will tell you they need to activate it - as long as you already have remote start and are using it, they don't need to activate it with the IDS. They won't need your truck at all...

What you will need activated is the SIM card and get your pin to connect the app to your truck. I called Zach Bourg from All Star Automotive and he did it for $50. (The $50 subscription fee is different and does not get charged through him). It was pretty sweet being on the phone with a guy in Louisiana and have him lock/unlock/start my truck in Alberta as I stood in front of it.

The annual subscription is $50, pennies a day.

With his permission, here is his info. Any one can call him and he will get you the right modules and activate it when it's installed in your truck.

Zachary Bourg

Parts Wholesale Specialist
11285 Airline Highway, Baton Rouge, LA, 70816
(Main) 225-298-8080 (W) 225-490-5164

 

I see you're in Canada, so here are my part numbers if your dealer can get you a good price.

RMU Kit DL3Z 19A390 C (List $509.15)
Base Security Kit DL3Z 19A361 A (List $321.07)
Antenna Kit DL3Z 15603 C (List $121.00)

The RMU kits contain an OBD II port now instead of plugging in at the TPMS module by the glove box. The antenna and security modules get plugged in the to RMU.

(The RMU harness has both a male and female OBD II end. You remove the trucks factory female end of the OBD and connect it the the harness' male end. The harness' female end gets bolted back in place of the factory OBD. You're OBD still retains full functionality, such as plugging in my MiniMaxx .)

I mounted everything under the steering column where I have all my wiring for the up fitters bundled up nicely. Reception hasn't been an issue at all yet.

The biggest selling point for me was keeping the key fob functional and not having to add another aftermarket fob. Everything functions great but there are no physical changes to anything inside or outside the truck. The app responds fairly quickly. There is no impact to the functionality of the key fob or app - I interchange between the two regularly.

The app could use a little bit of improvement, which I'm sure will come. I'd like to be able to open the app and glance to see if the truck was locked or unlocked, without having to signal it to lock and hear back from it to confirm its locked. When it's running, you get the digital countdown and can be started twice to double your run time just like off the fob - for me is 30 mins. There is a sleep feature on the RMU to keep from draining the battery (after 72hrs?). Which I don't mind, but you have to schedule a wake up several hours in advance or be close enough to start the truck with the key fob.


I think that covers most of it? Any questions I'll try and help out.

Like I said, if you already have remote start, the dealership does not require your truck for one second. Everything can be done by you and Mr. Bourg over the phone - substantially cheaper than the service quote to install the Remote Access.

 

Thanks for the replies. The cost is insane in my opinion, considering a good quality 2 way command start system is around $600 installed here. I ended up calling FoMoCo Canada and got some information, they then contacted my dealer who contacted me and gave me a little information. Not as much as I received here

My truck didn't come with factory command start. For some reason the local dealer has an poor opinion about it and won't order OTL vehicles with it. I had the factory command start on a 2011 Ecoboost and it worked fine for me.

I'll pass on this system and get a 2-way command start system like we have on our Fusion.

Thanks for the replies!!

 

I have the older style type that plugs in behind the glove box. Took about 30 minutes to install. I purchased my unit from Banner Automotive through eBay for around $420 if I remember correctly. Banner was very helpful and activated the unit for free. $50 per year is a very small price to pay to avoid my frustration with the terrible range of the key fob. I do agree with Bryan that still having the key fob functional and not having to add another aftermarket fob was a big selling point for me also.

 

I did the same as doczenith1 (even same vendor) and have been happy with the way it helps out with the remote start.

Rich / N1NCZ